vocations week august 5 -- 12
Page 12 August 2012
www.thesoutherncross.org.au
My father was a policeman,
so as a family we lived in
different places. My primary
schooling was in a public State
school in the bush in Central
Queensland, as the nearest
Catholic school and church
were 100 miles away. We only
saw a priest once a month, and
Confession and Mass were in
the local dance hall.
When it was time for secondary
schooling, we moved to a
regional city and I went to a
Catholic girls college run by the
Sisters of Mercy, but it wasn't
until I had left school and was
working in a bank that the first
inkling of a religious vocation
came to me.
I had attended a "vocation
weekend" and went home on
"a high", telling my parents
I wanted to enter then. They
said a definite NO as I was too
young. So I joined the WRAAF
(Womens' Royal Australian Air
Force) and left home for the
first time. I think it was a good
move as it meant I had to grow
up fast!
I travelled overseas; I learned
to fly; I had a boyfriend; I lived
in womens' barracks and
so learned discipline, which
helped me later when I had to
live in a religious community.
In fact the whole idea of a
religious vocation had left me
until I was nearly ready to leave
the WRAAF, and then I found
myself looking to the Lord for
inspiration as to what to do
next with my life.
I felt I needed to get away
from family and friends to
think, so I went to Perth,
Western Australia and back
to secretarial work, did some
travelling within Australia and
found myself going to daily
Mass in my lunch breaks. You
see this "niggling" thought of
vocation was back, but I had
no attraction to any particular
congregation or type of work.
I spoke to a priest about
it and he suggested I look
around at different types of
congregations, which I think
was a good first move.
A girlfriend of mine then
told me she was going on a
vocation weekend and invited
me along.
I met a Sister of Nazareth
and everything about her I
liked -- that was it! She invited
me to visit Nazareth House in
Perth and as soon as I walked
through the door I felt at home.
I then went back home and
had to tell my parents I wanted
to enter a congregation they
had never heard of, and this
time they agreed. Even when
I asked to enter I still was
not 100 percent sure it was
the right decision, but I felt
I would never know unless I
tried. Although my father said
I would be back home in 12
months, it is now 31 years
and this is my new home,
presently in Nazareth House,
Camberwell, Melbourne.
You see it is God's call, and His
way is not our way!
Sr Ruth Egar, a Sister of Mercy, is
retiring after almost seven years
of serving as the Archbishop's
Delegate for Religious within the
Adelaide Archdiocese.
Ruth says it has been a great
privilege for her to come to know
and enjoy so many of the women
and men religious in Adelaide and
beyond.
"The call to leadership in the
Church heralded by the second
Vatican Council has been taken
up by committed women and
men, able and highly qualified laity
who have created a new Catholic
leadership in these, and so many
other areas of pastoral life," she
says.
"We might be less visible
because we do not now staff
large institutions, but there is a
great spiritual energy and zest for
Gospel life in the 300 Sisters and
Brothers in this diocese."
Ruth says handing over to the laity
the responsibility for many of our
Catholic institutions has enabled
the Religious to choose ministries
to those others who 'live on the
edge' of our society.
"You will find many religious
committed to, for example,
the refugees, the intellectually
disabled, the homeless,
prisoners and all those suffering
discrimination of some sort or
other. This is where we are meant
to be today," she says.
"We are not there serving on our
own -- we serve with countless
others who share our love for the
poorest."
Ruth sites the many and varied
religious communities living and
working in Adelaide: "You will
find two different communities
of Franciscan Sisters in Adelaide
today serving the elderly in nursing
homes. Beyond the nursing
homes their lives are a witness
to the Italian families in nearby
parishes."
She says one small Croatian
community in North Adelaide 'The
Adorers of the Blood of Christ',
have for many years received
Government grants to cater for the
needs of Croatian families in their
homes. They gather the families
for prayer and assist in their
celebration of Mass in St Patrick's
church.
"We are also witnessing the
emergence of new forms of
religious life particularly with the
Sisters of St Joseph who have a
resurgence of interest in religious
life," she says.
"The recent canonisation of our
first Australian Saint Mary of the
Cross MacKillop has emboldened
the desire of some to live the
charism of Mary in new and
exciting ways. "You will find Mary
MacKillop's Sisters with the deaf,
touring the country in a bus to
invite us all to a living mission
of hope, in supported living for
adults with intellectual disabilities,
caring for aged and infirm and in
may other areas of spiritual and
pastoral support for our Catholic
communities."
Sr Ruth says other Religious
Congregations have educated
thousands of us here in South
Australia - the Dominicans,
Mercies, Loreto Sisters, Good
Samaritans and St Joseph Sisters,
as well as the Christian, Marist and
Salesian and Jesuit Brothers and
Priests engaged in new ways of
influencing the formation of both
adults and children.
One powerful example of this,
she says, is the 'Edmund Rice'
camps that have been a source of
salvation for children from many
under-resourced families and
homes. The Ignatian method of
retreats and spiritual direction,
a specialist method of Jesuit
origin has led to the formation
and training of many religious and
laity. This influences the faith life
and commitment of hundreds of
Catholics and people of other
Christian faiths.
"My own Congregation, the Sisters
of Mercy, continues to discover
ways to support those on the
edge. Catherine House in the city,
has been a haven for hundreds
of homeless women over two or
more decades. Sr Janet Mead
and the Romero Community in
Moore Street feed and house the
hungry across Adelaide. There
have been many Sisters formerly
involved in aboriginal education
-- now a younger Sister will work
with Centacare in the support of
aboriginal families in a far flung
part of South Australia."
Archbishop Philip Wilson
four years ago invited a new
Congregation, the Sisters of
St Anne of Chennai to begin a
foundation here in Adelaide. Sr
Mercy has been welcomed by Fr
Roderick O'Brien, Parish Priest
of Salisbury to work with Indian
families. Sister Sheela is engaged
with African families, women
and children who lead lively
programmes for catechetics and
prayer groups. The preparation
of beautiful liturgies celebrated
for Indian families are testament
to the gift of the Indian Sisters'
presence in our diocese.
Sr Ruth says that Sr Marie Ralph
RSM, her successor, appointed
recently by Archbishop Philip
Wilson, has expressed her wish
to continue to encourage the
women and men of the various
Congregations in their outreach to
all whom they serve.
Pictured above at Sr Ruth's
farewell are from left Sr Candida
De Angelis SJBP, Sr Ruth, Sr
Anna Genovese SJBP, Sr Mercy
Markose SSA, Sr Sheela Thomas
SSA and Sr Slavica Turcic ASC.
Spiritual energy
Following
God's call
Sister Marie of the
Sacred Heart talks
about her decision
to join the Sisters
of Nazareth.